Summertime Heat this Weekend
Rachel Maddow Explains The Dangerous Implications Of North Carolina’s Anti …
Last night, Rachel Maddow looked at the case of Loving v. Virginia and how the current anti-gay marriage recusal bill under consideration in the North Carolina state House of Representatives has far-reaching implications beyond just impacting gay couples. If passed by the house, the bill (which would then become law) would make it legal for clerks to reject marriage licenses not only for gay couples but also for interracial and interfaith couples if the clerks have “sincerely held religious beliefs” that would conflict with them providing such licenses.
Said Maddow,
In North Carolina this new law is a blanket change. It puts no restrictions on what a person is allowed to express their religious objection to. So depending on where you live in North Carolina your local magistrate may only agree to give marriage licenses to straight couples. Next county over the magistrate may believe its her moral duty to only give marriage licenses to couple who are the same religion. ‘A Jew and a Catholic? Are you kidding me? I’m not going to allowed you to do that. That’s against my religious or moral beliefs. Sure it’s constitutionally protected but my religious and moral beliefs trump that.’
Maddow added, “They were aiming at gay people. They hit everybody.”
Watch the clip, AFTER THE JUMP…
Tagged with: North Carolina
New Asheville tourism commercial filming this week – Asheville Citizen
ASHEVILLE – This week’s onslaught of cameras aren’t working for some L.A. studio; they’re working for us.
The crews you see around town are filming new TV spots that will advertise Asheville to potential visitors online and in nine regional markets: Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Knoxville, Columbia, Charleston, Cincinnati and Nashville.
Their efforts will produce 15- and 30-second commercials plus a long-form Youtube video. Altogether, they’ll film at more than 20 locations in the Asheville area.
The cameras have already been to downtown restaurants, the River Arts District and Lexington Avenue Glass, and the schedule for Wednesday takes them to Biltmore and Wall Street.
The Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau is producing the commercial, and last week, the group created photography for a print campaign that will correspond with the TV and digital push.
“The aim is to be able to show the grandeur and vibrancy of this destination and what makes it so special and create that aspirational desire for visitation,” said Marla Tambellini, deputy director of the CVB. “It’s more about the moment, capturing a moment that visitors to our community have.”
The ad materials correspond to a new tagline that the CVB announced in October: “Asheville: Discovery, inside and out.”
The last time the CVB shot TV spots about three years ago, they matched the “Asheville’s calling” tagline, Tambellini said.
The videos will include about 150 locals, some of which were paid as extras.
The imagery is set to music by local band River Whyless, which released a new self-titled EP in January. The song in the commercials isn’t actually on the EP, however. It’s a variation on a song that the band will use specifically for the campaign.
“The music itself informs the tone and tenor of the video, and the idea about discovery inside and out is woven in there,” Tambellini said.
The CVB will release the new commercials at the end of July, and they will air starting in August. Since the ads won’t be used in local media (they’re for tourism), Asheville residents will have to go online to see them. They’ll be available through Youtube and the CVB website.
A print campaign will launch around the same time, but Tambellini said video is the best medium for Asheville. “The diversity of experiences in Asheville is harder to tell in print and can be conveyed much easier in video format,” she said. “We have that opportunity to convey a variety of experiences as well as create that desire and showcase the beauty and the vibrancy and all the attributes of this area in video.”
The new creative campaign costs $590,000 for video, photography, post-production and other associated costs.
Last summer, the CVB hired Peter Mayer, a public relations firm based in New Orleans, to spearhead its PR efforts, which caused some controversy because a local group was not contracted.
The filming revived some of that ire on the Asheville Politics Facebook page.
The CVB is part of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and it is funded by a contract with the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, which manages the revenue from the 4 percent hotel occupancy tax.
That tax could increase to 6 percent if a bill in the North Carolina House of Representatives approves the change. It received Senate approval on Monday in a 42-5 vote.
The Occupancy Tax Fund has a budget of $10,408,699 in this fiscal year.
Tagged with: Asheville
Latest on bus crash: Driver of Italian tour bus among 3 dead
Posted: Thursday, June 4, 2015 6:51 am
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Updated: 7:15 am, Thu Jun 4, 2015.
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6:45 a.m.
Eight people treated for mild to moderate injuries after a bus carrying Italian tourists crashed into a tractor-trailer in eastern Pennsylvania have been released from the hospital.
Geoffrey Roche, a spokesman for Pocono Health System, says the patients had all been released by Wednesday night.
State police are still investigating the crash which occurred when the truck headed south on Interstate 380 in the Pocono Mountains crossed into the northbound lanes, hitting another truck before the bus then hit the first truck.
The bus driver and two other passengers were killed. Seven other passengers remain hospitalized, four in critical condition.
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10:40 p.m.
Police say a Pennsylvania highway crash that killed three people on a bus carrying Italian tourists to Niagara Falls occurred after a tractor-trailer crossed into oncoming traffic.
State police say a truck heading south on Interstate 380 in the Pocono Mountains region on Wednesday morning entered the northbound lanes and struck another truck going in the opposite direction. They say the northbound charter bus then slammed into the first truck.
A New York City man driving the bus and two other people on it were killed. The other people on the bus have been hospitalized.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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This item has been corrected to show the bus driver and two other people were killed, not three tourists.
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2:15 p.m.
The owners of a tour bus that collided with a tractor-trailer on a Pennsylvania highway say the bus driver was one of the three killed in the crash.
Academy Bus says the driver had more than a decade of experience with the company.
Academy says the bus was en route from New York to Niagara Falls when the accident occurred Wednesday on Interstate 380 in eastern Pennsylvania.
Authorities say the bus was carrying Italian tourists. It appeared to have been chartered by Viaggidea, an Italian tour operator.
A woman who answered the phone at Viaggidea offices in Milan, Italy, said she knew nothing about the accident.
More than a dozen people were injured in the crash. Hospital officials say at least four were in critical condition Wednesday afternoon.
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12:45 p.m.
Authorities say a collision between a bus carrying Italian tourists and a tractor-trailer in Pennsylvania has left three people dead and many injured.
The accident occurred Wednesday morning on Interstate 380.
Monroe County Coroner Robert Allen told reporters at the scene that the death toll had climbed from two to three.
He says all the passengers on the bus were from Italy.
The tour bus has the name of the Academy Bus company but appears to have been operated by Viaggidea, an Italian tour operator whose name is also on the bus.
The company operates tours that head from New York to Niagara Falls and Canada.
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12:30 p.m.
Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say a head-on crash between a bus and a tractor-trailer has left two people dead and sent more than a dozen to hospitals.
Monroe County emergency officials say the crash occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday on Interstate 380 in the Pocono Mountain region about 75 miles northwest of New York City.
The mangled front end of the bus was wedged into the tractor-trailer, which was sheared in half. The cab came to rest on its side in the woods.
The bus is owned by Academy Bus, which didn’t have information on the crash. An attorney for tractor-trailer owner Xtra Lease says he doesn’t know who was leasing the vehicle.
Matt Kislak at the county 911 center says four of the 13 victims were flown to hospitals.
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This story has been corrected to show that the crash happened northwest of New York City, not southwest.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Thursday, June 4, 2015 6:51 am.
Updated: 7:15 am.
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Tagged with: Raleigh
State inks Gaston train service deal
The N.C. Board of Transportation has formally approved a lease agreement between the N.C. Department of Transportation and Iowa Pacific Holdings/Piedmont Railway for rail service on N.C. DOT’s Piedmont Northern rail corridor in Gaston County.
Under terms of the agreement, Iowa Pacific’s Piedmont Railway subsidiary will operate, maintain and market freight service on the 13-mile rail line that serves Mount Holly, Belmont, Ranlo, Lowell and Gastonia.
The railroad also may have the opportunity to provide passenger rail services, including excursion, tourist, diner and holiday season trains, according to the N.C. DOT’s Rail Division.
Built in 1911 by tobacco and electric power mogul James Buchanan Duke, the Piedmont Northern Railway hauled passengers between Gastonia and uptown Charlotte before shutting down in the 1950s.
It then became a freight route that eventually played out in Gaston County and was scheduled for abandonment. In 1991, the N.C. DOT bought the unused portion between Gastonia and Mount Holly from CSX Transportation, preserving it until the time was right for revival.
Eight years later, at the direction of the state legislature, N.C. DOT began an approximately $6.5 million restoration of the corridor. Gaston County contributed $500,000 toward the project.
Patriot Rail Corp., a privately owned, short-line holding company now based in Jacksonville, Fla., had the winning bid to operate the revived railroad and began freight operations in 2012.
But Dan Freeman, Patriot Rail vice president, told the Observer last fall that business on the line hadn’t met expectations, and the company wouldn’t renew its lease, which expires in November. The company had only four active customers, and they didn’t ship consistently, he said.
Gaston officials met last year with Gov. Pat McCrory to pitch rail tourism as a possibility for the line, in addition to freight service.
“Our No. 1 primary objective is to maximize the line with freight traffic,” Gaston commissioners Chairman Tracy Philbeck told the Observer last fall. “We’re looking for an operator that can develop the line and also have a travel and tourism component. We have an opportunity to directly impact Gaston and the region if we have an operator that understands a short line.”
At the meeting with McCrory, Gaston leaders floated such rail tourism ideas as a diner car and Polar Express rides to Christmas Town USA. Running a train from Gaston to uptown Charlotte for Panthers’ games “might be a long shot,” Gaston Travel and Tourism Director Walt Israel said at the time. “But it would be so much fun and a great way to manage traffic flow.”
Another possibility is a bed-and-breakfast operation in vintage train cars from the 1930s and 1940s, parked on the rails near someplace like downtown Belmont where people could eat and shop.
Israel said that while McCrory appeared to see the viability of rail tourism, “he also sees the liability. That’s something we’d have to deal with.”
Marusak: 704-358-5067;
Tagged with: Charlotte
Chattanooga, Best Town Ever?: Heated contest ends tonight
Vote for Best Town Ever
The battle to be named Outside Magazine’s “Best Town Ever 2015” will be called at 11:59 p.m. EST, and whichever town has the most votes — Chattanooga or Port Angeles, Wash. — will prevail.
At stake are a year’s worth of bragging rights and branding opportunities. As the competition enters its final hours, more than 100,000 votes have been tallied, with Chattanooga holding a slim lead of a few thousand votes.
In the later rounds of the competition, things have gotten a little chippy. After Chattanooga defeated Boone, N.C., in the round of eight, Boone sympathizers launched an ABC (Anything But Chattanooga) hashtag on Twitter. The final round hasn’t been exempt from negativity or controversy, either.
In the comments section on the competition’s website Wednesday, proponents of both towns squabbled over things such as humidity, bugs, smell and grammar, and attempted to out-“nature porn” each other, posting idyllic pictures boasting the natural beauty of both areas.
There were even allegations of “robo-voting” — there was an 8,000-vote spike in Port Angeles’ favor during a one-hour period Saturday. Outside Magazine added a “CAPTCHA” test — prompts to type sequences of slightly distorted letters or numbers to determine whether a user is human — to its voting process shortly after. Messages left with Outside Magazine to verify why the CAPTCHA test was added went unreturned.
Russ Veenma, executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he had heard about the claims of robo-voting. While he assumed that was the reason the CAPTCHA was added, he said he’s been focusing on the positive aspects of the competition.
“We feel really good about making it to the finals,” Veenma said. “It’s been a lot of positive PR for the town outside of this area, as well as inside the community on a bonding basis.”
Veenma said local residents, small businesses and leaders have joined to promote the contest. He said the coastal town of 19,500 is confident about its chances — despite having a much smaller population than Chattanooga — because of national exposure from having Olympic National Park in its backyard.
“We’d love to win, but second place is good, too,” Veenma said. “Chattanooga is a deserving town.”
Chattanooga, which is seeking to become the contest’s first two-time winner, isn’t resting on its laurels. The Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau issued a “10-Minute Challenge” email blast urging people to vote and share the contest link with 20 contacts — 10 in Chattanooga and 10 outside.
Bob Doak, president and CEO of the Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the competition isn’t just about bragging rights. He said superlatives are big in his business and they help a lot when singing your town’s praises, especially coming from an unpaid third party.
“Those intangibles turn into tangibles pretty quick,” Doak said. “Superlatives don’t just increase tourism, they attract businesses, and people wanting to relocate to the area.”
More than the financial rewards, Doak said being named “Best Town Ever” for a second time would emphasize what so many people in the area already know.
“It would speak volumes to the great assets we have here and our people,” Doak said. “One thing we’re proud of is we’re an authentic city. This is a special place we call home.”
Contact Will Healey at whealey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.
Read more
* Final battle: Chattanooga duels Port Angeles for Outside magazine’s Best Town Ever title
* Greeson: Chattanooga moving along in Best Town Ever competition
* Chattanooga or Port Angeles? Which will emerge as the ‘Best Town Ever’?
* Chattanooga moves into Best Town Ever semifinals
* Chattanooga beats Boone in ‘Best Town Ever’ competition
* Chattanooga clings to slim lead over Boone in Best Town Ever quarterfinals
* BEAT BOONE: Gap narrows in vote for Best Town Ever
* Chattanooga advances to final 8 in Best Town Ever contest
* Chattanooga advances to quarterfinals in Outside magazine’s Best Town Ever contest
* Chattanooga competes for Outside magazine’s ‘Best Town in America’
* Chattanooga back in the running for Outside magazine’s Best Town in America
* Chattanooga wins Facebook vote in Outside magazine’s ‘Best Town Ever’ contest
Tagged with: Boone NC
Three arrested in violent Campbell County home invasion
Millan, John H. Mac
12/9/28 – 5/30/15 John H. Mac Millan, cherished husband of Ellen B. Mac Millan of Cary, N.C., died peacefully on Saturday, May 30, 2015.He was born on December 9, 1928, the son of Henry John and Mary Ruth MacInnes Mac Millan. His parents preceded him in death; as did his first wife, Kathryn Witwer Mac Millan.Born in Providence, Rhode Island, John spent his childhood in Delmar, N.Y., and most of his career in Lynchburg, Va.In 1957, he joined Babcock Wilcox in Lynchburg and retired in 1987 as the Senior Vice President, Nuclear Power and Technology, McDermott International (formerly Babcock Wilcox). He came out of retirement to become the Executive Director of the N.C. Low Level Radioactive Waste Management Authority. He retired again in 1998.Although he had many accomplishments and awards, John was most of all a loving and nurturing family man. He leaves behind his younger sister, Ann Bradley (Frank) of Cupertino, Ca., and a family of children, grandchildren, stepchildren and step grandchildren who adored him. His children and grandchildren are Lynn MacMillan of Richmond, Va., Claire Terry (Ted) of Evergreen, Colo., Kathy Lawson (Jack) of Roanoke, Va., John and Mary Lawson, Ben, Leigh, and Sam Terry, and David and Emily Schafer; his stepchildren and grandchildren are, Craig Biles (Teresa) of Kernersville, N.C., Leigh Biles of Chapin, S.C., Andy Biles (Stephanie) of Walkertown, N.C., Shane Biles and Brittany and Lanie Allen. With John’s encouragement and gift of an annual week’s trip to Emerald Isle, N.C., he created a loving and caring blended family who supported him through his illness and death.John was a life-long learner. He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950 and was named a Rotary Scholar to attend graduate school at the Imperial College, University of London. Later, his first employer Boeing sent him for another year of study at the then-classified Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology. He was extremely proud to have helped in the design, building, and trials of the Nuclear Ship Savannah, a U.S. atoms-for-peace project in the 1950s.He was known to be humble, honest and hardworking, also talented, intelligent, and nurturing to his family, employees, and acquaintances. In addition, he had the “Mac Millan competitive streak” so named by his family. He excelled in many sports and won many competitions such as the Virginia Inland Sailing Association regatta; the Virginia State Seniors Squash Championship five times; and the MIT Athlete of the year in 1950. He was also known to regularly defeat all other family members in a fierce game of Yahtzee.His persistence and dedication were honored by several organizations. He was named Best Citizen of Bethlehem Central High School, an Eagle Scout, a member of the Tau Beta Pi, national engineering honor society, a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, and a member of the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine.His love of music was a constant in his life whether playing the trombone in high school or singing in the choirs of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynchburg, White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, or the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh. When he retired he decided to learn to play the bassoon and became a part of an amateur group of retirees known as the Second Wind Quintet. He enjoyed the N.C. Symphony, all classical music, the Canadian Brass and ragtime.A Celebration of John’s life will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, 3313 Wade Ave., Friday, June 5, 2015, at 11:30 a.m.Memorials may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Foundation of Raleigh at the above address or to the charity of choice.Arrangements by Brown-Wynne of Cary.
Tagged with: Raleigh
Countdown to college: What to do when the kids come home for the summer
Local News
Help sought to ID person after theft from hatchery off Nooksack
Tagged with: Charlotte
Cameras Roll Downtown For AVL Ad Blitz
c 2014, WLOS ABC 13 | Portions are Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed.
WLOS News 13 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for Asheville, NC and nearby towns and communities in Western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, including the counties of Buncombe, Henderson, Rutherford, Haywood, Polk, Transylvania, McDowell, Mitchell, Madison, Yancey, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson, Union, Pickens, Oconee, Laurens, Greenwood, Abbeville and also Biltmore Forest, Woodfin, Leicester, Black Mountain, Montreat, Arden, Weaverville, Hendersonville, Etowah, Flat Rock, Mills River, Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Canton, Clyde, Franklin, Cullowhee, Sylva, Cherokee, Marion, Old Fort, Forest City, Lake Lure, Bat Cave, Spindale, Spruce Pine, Bakersville, Burnsville, Tryon, Columbus, Marshall, Mars Hill, Brevard, Bryson City, Cashiers, Greer, Landrum, Clemson, Gaffney, and Easley.
Tagged with: Asheville